Australia will lead a push to stop pregnant women, children, and people with mental or intellectual disabilities being handed the death penalty as a step towards its global abolition.
Foreign Minister Marise Payne on Monday launched a concerted diplomatic strategy to end the death penalty.
"We consider the death penalty to be deeply flawed and an affront to human dignity," Senator Payne said on Monday.
"There is no conclusive evidence that the death penalty deters crime. It is irrevocable and degrading."
As part of the push, Australia will aim to increase the number of abolitionist countries, and try to get pardons for people on death row.
Australia also aims to reduce the number of executions and the number of crimes that attract the death penalty.
The strategy calls for an end to the use of the death penalty on pregnant women, people younger than 18 years and those with mental or intellectual disabilities.
"As long as people face execution by a government, we will pursue abolition of the death penalty," Senator Payne said.
The push comes after Australia joined a group of more than 60 nations in an alliance aiming to end the trade in weapons used in torture.
